How to irritate people - found orig. 48min version

[RWels]

A collector recently gave (well, sold, actually) me an audio only of the original "How to irritate people". The version we know today is more of an extended edit.

I believe the raw footage still exists, because that is where the version we know today comes from. (An anonymous forum member told me once that he transferred it.)

Is the original edition lost? If so, should I contact Paradine Productions?

(Strictly speaking it was made for US television, but it's full of British people...)

[garrettgilchrist]

Yeah, the version we have was edited together from raw footage found across the world. Some NTSC, some PAL I think. Some bad cam copy scenes which distort the picture. I believe the original version featured introductions from David Frost?

That's why the released version has freeze frames and editing that doesn't quite fit the period.

Could you send me this audio, Reinier? Megaupload or something?

[RWels]

Nov 18, 2010 19:21:19 GMT garrettgilchrist said:

Yeah, the version we have was edited together from raw footage found across the world. Some NTSC, some PAL I think. Some bad cam copy scenes which distort the picture.

Oh, I always thought the master tape simply turned up in the 1990s. And that it was NTSC because it had been made for the US. I never heard anything about footage from different sources.
Although the picture quality is not very good, it is consistently so, isn't it?

[garrettgilchrist]

I'm going by SOTCAA's opinion here:
orangecow.org/pythonet/stolenfromsotcaa/howtoirritatepeople.html

[RWels]

One other reasons why I would like to contact Paradine is to ask if they would could clear this up. There is an address on the internet but apparently they've moved.

It seems to me that SOTCAA is just guessing. HTIP is largely ignored in books and documentaries so they do not have much information to go on. I got the impression it was the first attempt to reach US viewers. The original SOTCAA page also has a review (http://www.sotcaa.net/history/ukonline/python_frame.html?/history/ukonline/python/python_irritate.html).
A member of this forum once mentioned that he was present when the tape with the raw material (/ studio tape / rushes) was brought in and transferred and re-edited into the current product. (If you're reading this, please tell us what you know.)

[garrettgilchrist]

Obviously they're just guessing, and much of it is based on the audio sounding different between sketches, which has nothing to do with them being from different sources. On my own viewing I always felt it was taken from different sources, but that was based on an NTSC VHS copy.

At any rate, it was certainly edited together from raw materials.

[jameshope]

Any ideas when it was first shown on tv or heard on radio

[RWels]

Apparently that was 4-5-1969 (dmyyyy).
The audio is on VHS (VHS is used here only to carry the audio signal) so I must first dig up my vcr and reconnect that before it's any use. Then I will give a sketch to sketch breakdown.

[RWels]

Anyway, here's a sketch by sketch breakdown. All of these sketches are on the DVD version although I heard a few lines that weren't and the order is different.
Absent are the car mechanic sketch, the explanation of what a pepperpot actually is, the parents and the job interview.

david frost introduction of comedy special
Cleese greeted with booing, 'never go too far'
restaurant sketch (am I fussing you too much)
cleese, neighbouring tables
indian restaurant
break
cleese, same treatment from banks
actors' sketch
cleese, praise
pepperpot on quiz show
cleese, disguise of motives
lift sketch
cleese, indirect approach
Mother sketch
break
Cleese, television
Atlantic talkshow (annoying host)
Cleese
Airline sketch
break
cleese, time wasting, telephone, god save the queen from what?
tv program - interviewer does all the talking
cleese, recognize the situation
tell the joke (ends with: he made it up himself)
cleese tells the audience to push off

[RWels]

PS According to SOTCAA it was aired in January 1969, but my copy is dated 4th of May. web.ukonline.co.uk/sotcaa/pythonpages/python_irritate.html

[Simon Smith]

Nov 17, 2010 22:47:13 GMT RWels said:

A collector recently gave (well, sold, actually) me an audio only of the original "How to irritate people". The version we know today is more of an extended edit.

I believe the raw footage still exists, because that is where the version we know today comes from. (An anonymous forum member told me once that he transferred it.)

Is the original edition lost? If so, should I contact Paradine Productions?
(Strictly speakling it was made for US television, but it's full of British people...)

Once again, a poster from missing-episodes.com has cut-and-pasted a paste that originally appeared over at the Mausoleum Club! The Administrators should keep a lookout for these sort of things.

[RWels]

No, not in this case. The fact that I am a registered member here should give you a clue.